Description
St. Juan Diego and the Guadalupe tradition
St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin was an Indigenous Christian of Mexico whose life is associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe. In the Guadalupan account, he brings roses to Bishop Juan de Zumárraga, and Mary's image appears on his tilma, or cloak. Pope John Paul II canonized Juan Diego in Mexico City on July 31, 2002.
The portrait shows Juan Diego in a striped, fringed mantle, with pink and yellow roses beside a representation of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Mary appears with joined hands, a blue mantle, and surrounding rays. These attributes identify the devotion without depicting the entire encounter with the bishop. The English inscription names Juan Diego, and a halo surrounds his head.
For a household or parish with a connection to Guadalupe, the image brings together the Marian devotion and the lay witness who carried its message. It can accompany prayer or catechesis about the Church in Mexico and the place of Indigenous peoples within Catholic history.
Made in Poland on linden wood
Art Christiana makes this icon to order on a linden-wood board with two coats of primer. The image is printed directly onto the prepared surface and finished with decorative gold-tone metal leaf (schlagmetal). A certificate bearing the production year and a hanging fixture are attached to the back.